Draisaitl hopes to return for Oilers 'at some point' in playoffs: report

Leon Draisaitl is hoping to return for the Edmonton Oilers this season in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, should the team qualify.

"I hope so. That's the plan, the reason I'm here right now," Draisaitl told Sky Sport on Saturday while attending an FC Bayern Munich soccer game in Munich. "(The recovery) will definitely take a few weeks. That's for sure. I hope we play long enough so I can help out again at some point."

On Tuesday, the Oilers announced the center was expected to be out for the rest of the regular season because of a lower-body injury. Sky Sport said Draisaitl is in Munich receiving treatment for the injury.

The 30-year-old was injured in a 3-1 win against the Nashville Predators on March 15. Draisaitl left the game after taking a hit from Predators forward Ozzy Wiesblatt at 4:20 of the first period. He returned for two shifts toward the end of the period but did not play in the second or third.

Draisaitl is fourth in the NHL with 97 points (35 goals, 62 assists) in 65 games.

"I'll be here in Munich until Tuesday, then I'm going back home," Draisaitl said Saturday.

The Oilers (34-27-9), who have 12 games remaining in the regular season, are second in the Pacific Division, three points behind the Anaheim Ducks and one ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights. 

Edmonton hosts the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, CITY, TVAS2, The Spot).

"You don't fill the void," Oilers captain Connor McDavid said Monday. "We have lots of guys in here that can lead. We have lots of different guys that have a voice in here. Obviously he's got a big one. If he's not playing for a little bit or if he is, it doesn't matter. We need leaders this time of year and we need our group to be lively and energetic, and that's with or without him in the lineup."

The playoffs are scheduled to begin on April 18, two days after the Oilers' final regular-season game.

Draisaitl is a four-time 50-goal scorer, leads the NHL in goals since the start of the 2018-19 season (359) and is second in points (846), behind McDavid (941). He won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy for leading the NHL in goals in 2024-25 (52) and the Art Ross Trophy in 2019-20, when he led the League with 110 points. That same season, he won the Hart Trophy (NHL MVP) and Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player as voted by the NHL Players' Association).

The No. 3 pick by Edmonton in the 2014 NHL Draft, Draisaitl has 1,053 points (434 goals, 619 assists) in 855 regular-season games and 141 points (52 goals, 89 assists) in 96 playoff games.

NHL.com staff writer Derek Van Diest contributed to this report